In the spirit of summer and Father’s Day, here are a few reads that are by dads, about dads-to-be, or simply feature the manly perspective.

Dad is Fat

by Jim Gaffigan

He has five kids, lives in a two-bedroom New York City apartment and he’s a stand-up comic, so you can guess that a large part of his comedy act revolves around his life as an outnumbered dad. With chapter titles like The Narcissist’s Guide to Babies and Toddlers and How to Put Five Kids to Bed in a Two-Bedroom Apartment (complete with diagram!), this man who lived alone for thirteen years hilariously tells all about his chaotic family life. Parents of young children will find him funny and relatable, and his book will be even funnier for parenting survivors.

Funny Girl

by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby is the quintessential “lad lit” author and a number of his books have been made into movies: About a Boy, Fever Pitch, and High Fidelity, for example. Pop culture is practically a character of its own in his books, and this one is no exception. It’s England in the sixties, the world of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Hair the musical; and there’s never been a woman star of a BBC sitcom. Barbara Parker wants to do what Lucille Ball does – make people laugh. She makes the leap from Blackpool beauty queen to sitcom star and her life is never the same.

Rosie Effect

by Graeme Simsion

Fans of The Rosie Project, Don is back and there’s a baby on the horizon! In his own inimitable way, Don is preparing for fatherhood; he’s researching fetal development, he’s drawing up a list of banned substances for Rosie, he’s buying an industrial-military tank of a stroller. Nothing proceeds in a straightforward fashion in his world, however, and life is soon a convoluted, comedic mix-up (all as a result of his good intentions, of course). As a result, things aren’t going so well with Rosie, and Don soon will realize that he needs to pay more attention to the baby’s mother than to The Baby Project.

The Farm

by Tom Rob Smith

When your parents retire to a farm in Sweden, they’re supposed to spend their days enjoying a new bucolic lifestyle. Then Daniel gets a call from his father, telling him his mother is not well and has had a psychotic breakdown and been admitted to a mental hospital. Later, his mother calls to tell him his father is full of lies, she is on her way to England and they need the police. Who should he believe? Who should he trust? He’s caught between his parents and must try to figure out where the truth lies.

Featured Local Author

Beervangelist’s Guide to the Galaxy

by Fred Bueltmann

He’s a master brewer and partner at New Holland Brewing Co. and he’s giving you his take on the world of beer and food, complete with FRED RANTS on topics such as My Beer is Not a Number and Meat Gets a Bad Rap. Arranged by season, it’s a guide to pairing food with beer and includes many appealing recipes like Beer-Brined Jerk Chicken and Bourbon Stout Cake. Fun to read, Fred’s big personality comes through on every page.

Jocelyn Yost is a librarian who remembers the library before the Internet and appreciates that she has constant access to a good read.

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